deep breath

I just realized that I've come to that point in pregnancy where I feel like I can't breathe as deeply anymore. I really have to try to expand my ribs outward to try to get a good breath in. I can't believe this - I thought I had a good couple of months before I got truly uncomfortable. Argh. I'm already breathing like a yogi, nostrils flared.

On the other hand, the little man is moving around a whole bunch, and for me, that makes being uncomfortable more bearable. Reese felt a big kick the other day and freaked out...like an old horror movie..."It's ALIIIIVE!"

parade!

Went to the annual Dundee Day (my 'hood) this Saturday with the fam...enjoyed the Pancake Man (who, for $6, serves up the tastiest all-you-can-eat pancakes I've ever had! I was in carb heaven.), the people-watching, and the parade. Which, by far, was Reese's favorite. She got to shake hands with a real-life Stormtrooper, and wanted to take light-saber lessons from Count Dooku. She's never watched a Star Wars movie (just snippets here and there), but she is still talking about it. My mom and dad belted out the Central High fight song as the band marched by....after 30+ years, they still know all the words! We also got pummeled with Tootsie-Rolls from my friends Jane and Scott, who marched for Metro Community College (she's a recruiter) in the parade....but judging by the picture, we probably deserved it. That's Michael heckling them on the right. Heh heh.

retreat

I spent the weekend in Iowa City a couple of weeks ago with the Whocares blog girls. We stayed at the Brown Street Inn (stay there if you're ever in Iowa City - the rooms are comfy, the porch is to-die-for, the hosts pleasant and the breakfasts are muy delicioso!), and just RELAXED over good food and friends. I've only known the Whocares group of women for a year-and-a-half, and we're spread out over the midwest: it was so great to be able to close the eyes in the back of my head for a couple of days and decompress with them! One of my favorite moments: sitting on the porch at 7AM on Sunday morning, reading Psalms 42, and just as Caron read the verse that says "deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls" (v.7), what had been a cool, morning drizzle turned into a ten-minute downpour. It was a moment for the soul. We sat there and watched it, listening to the sound of falling water on the brick streets.






(photo credits: Darci, Darby, Alicia & The Brown Street Inn)

yum

My midwife told me that I could stand to gain a little more weight - specifically in the form of protein and calcium. Since I'm currently responsible for growing another human, I oblige. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? CHEESE! Beside clogging my digestive system with cheese, I have become a huge fan of protein bars....I can eat them whenever hunger strikes (which is usually at all the wrong times), and take them wherever I go. Are you into energy bars? What are your faves? Right now I'm mowing down Kind bars (almond & apricot), Clif Mojo (mountain mix) bars, and Luna (lemon zest or chocolate peppermint) bars. LOVE them. They are so good for me, low glycemic, high fiber & folic acid and good on protein. They get me thru the late morning or mid-afternoon. It's becoming an obsession...

Anybody got a good recipe for making your own (bars or granola)? If so, post it in the comments!

blackie

Reese loves animals, but since she's too young to help take care of a pet and our landlords don't allow them, we've adopted this little black squirrel who comes to play under our locust tree out front. Blackie gets roasted peanuts mostly, sometimes stale bread. I'm half doing this to keep him from stripping the tree of its bark...for some reason, nuts are hard to come by this year, so squirrels around here are starting to eat bark instead. A squirrel famine! So we're doing our part and feeding him and the other two (smarter/quicker) brown squirrels that come over. He's a jumpy little fellow - shy and suspicious - but we're winning him over. And Reese is finding that she loves peanuts-in-the-shell too.

a rose by any other name...

You know the rest of the line, right? That's what I've been contemplating lately - we're going to be changing the spelling of Rhys' name to 'Reese'. Michael & I had separately been thinking about doing it, but hadn't said anything to each other until this spring. I love my daughter's name, but we did pick a hard-to-pronounce (Welsh) spelling, and after hearing it butchered for the first two years of her life (Rice/Riss/Ross), we decided to go easy on her and revise it. We've mentioned it to some people, and it's interesting to see the reaction - most have a strong opinion one way or another. But we've thought a lot about it, and so before we moved from Iowa we filed the paperwork at the courthouse to change it. It should go into effect on Wednesday. So henceforth, she will be called Reese Ainsley Young. I still love it. And she still smells just as sweet! (unless she's played outside, that is. she's a sweat-er.)

amigos

Rhys has made some new friends here in Omaha - and it is hilarious to see how she meshes with each one. It's two entirely different scenarios. She picks up on the energy of each kid - or group of kids - and joins right in. I love studying her at play!

Here she is with her friend Isaac (she calls him "i-guess") during a RARE quiet moment watching--you guessed it--Curious George:



And here's Rhys helping Ada rock the moose. These two play so daintily and quietly together that I almost fell asleep (while drinking coffee, no less!) watching them:

pass around the blue cigars...

...because we are having a little man! Had our ultrasound today, and this baby is most definitely of the male persuasion. (what dad-to-be doesn't pat himself on the back when he hears that?) Caught on tape: the dude put his foot in his mouth and chomped on it. Hmm. I'll post his first photo soon...suffice it to say that I think he's gonna look like Michael. He's got a cute little button nose and a little tiny chin - most unlike his sister, who looked more like Darth Vader for her ultrasound.

Now begins the mad blitz to pick out a manly name...

the bridge and the bottom line

While the media focuses on pointing fingers about why the Minneapolis bridge collapsed, and many grieve the loss of precious lives, read this article for a different perspective. It might change the way you think about catastrophe.

sicko

It was bound to happen - Rhys hasn't ever been really sick before - until this week! Both Rhys and I had the stomach flu (gastroenteritis?), picked up at a birthday party. Boo! Down and out for a couple of days, I have never seen Rhys so listless. She usually has so much energy, but she spent most of the day sleeping or laying down on the floor (see photo - she just flopped down in the middle of her bedroom floor!), couch, or on me. Thank goodness that Michael was able to stay home for a day and play nursemaid. He earned his keep this week, for sure.

We seem to be out of the woods now, just resting and regaining our energy. This morning, Rhys woke up early and wouldn't sleep anywhere else but back-to-back with me in our bed, for two more hours til Michael left for work. It was a sweet, rare moment. I kind of like this cuddly version of our normally spunky toddler - don't tell her, though.

first pedicure

A couple of weeks ago, Michael and I each picked out a nail polish for Rhys - light blue with sparkles (Michael) and hot pink (me). Here's the first application - Rhys just loved it. She's been noticing nail polish on me and other people's toes, and so when I proposed that we hook her up, she was delighted. "I like dis!", "More!", and "Try 'gain, Mama!" was what she kept saying while I was trying to paint those tiny toes. No shoes were fit for her feet for a few days after that.



Michael's up for the next 'pedicure'.

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Me at 18 weeks. I'm finally showing. And the baby's moving now - at last, some evidence! Next week we go for our ultrasound, and find out just what gender this little bugger is. This pregnancy is almost halfway over and we've been in Omaha now for a month - wow.